President Obama and Me

President Obama and I have one thing in common. We both have voles! As soon as I saw that littler critter scurry in front of the presidential podium on the national news, I knew it was a vole.

Much to my dismay, an extended family of voles – mothers, fathers, grandmas, grandpas, aunts, uncles, cousins, and kids – have taken up residence in a condominium complex they built in our rock walls. They take delight in not only enjoying our tasty shrubs but also crossing my path or mysteriously appearing when I am digging in my flower garden. Rodents are not my friends!

We set traps, sprayed, and pleaded with them to move to the neighbors’ yards – all to no avail. The only thing we succeeded in doing was to cause a mass exodus from the front yard to the backyard. Soon they will be celebrating the birth of a whole new generation of voles who, in turn, will build new homes in our yard.

Maybe I could interest them in books about their relatives. Wong Herbert Yee’s Mouse and Mole series would be a perfect match for the little critters. They’re easy-readers about friendship, and the illustrations are colorful and pleasing to the eye. For that matter, the Mouse and Mole books would be a perfect match for any reader. They are reminiscent of the Frog and Toad series by Arnold Lobel. I bet President Obama would like these books, too. I say if you’re going to sink your teeth into anything, try one of the Mouse and Mole books. Even I like these rodents!